GRANTHAM, Pa. – With the 2025 Messiah Field Hockey season beginning on Friday, check out the 2025 season preview below.
2024 Season Recap
The Messiah field hockey team finished with a 16-6 overall record and a 7-0 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons finished as MAC Commonwealth Runner-Ups after being defeated 1-0 in overtime by the Spartans of York College. After defeating Shenandoah 2-1 in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, the Falcons fell to Williams College in the Elite Eight via a 2-1 score to end the 2024 season.
Roster Outlook
The Falcons will field a mixed group of returners and new faces as they hit the turf this season. After graduating a number of last season's high goal scorers, Messiah will look to players who were able to notch a number of goals last season such as
Aubrey Clark,
Chelsea Carpenter, and
Ellie Lefever. The Falcons will look to incoming freshmen in the forward position to make an immediate impact in the goal scoring category. Senior
Anna Bea Koenig returns as a key leader for the Falcons in the midfield and will be joined by two new Falcons, including senior transfer
Mattie Hartzler who brings added experience to the midfield for Messiah. The Falcons return much of their defensive squad with
Lillian Peters,
Casey Tyrrell, and
Rebekah Wiley all returning as upperclassmen. In goal, the Falcons will look to sophomore
Joy Lippert to continue her successful run from last season.
2025 Schedule Preview
Messiah will travel to nearby Dickinson College on Friday, Aug. 29, to open the 2025 season with a 4:00 p.m. start time. The Falcons will then open their home slate on Anderson Field with back-to-back games, first hosting Franklin & Marshall College on Sep. 3 before hosting No. 3 Salisbury University on Sep. 6 on Anderson Field. Messiah will play two top ten matchups on the road near the end of September, facing No. 6 Christopher Newport on Sep. 20 and No. 5 Johns Hopkins on Sep. 24. The Falcons will begin MAC Commonwealth conference play on Oct. 10, when they travel to Alvernia University for a 4:00 p.m. start time. Messiah will host No. 10 York College in a rematch of the 2024 MAC Commonwealth Championship on Oct. 29 before ending the regular season at Widener University on Nov. 1.
2025Â NFHCA Division III National Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Middlebury College
2. Tufts University
3. Salisbury University
4. Williams College
5. Johns Hopkins University
6. Christopher Newport Unversity
7. Babson College
8. Bates College
9. Messiah University
10. York College of PennsylvaniaÂ
2025 MAC Commonwealth Field Hockey Coaches' Preseason Poll
1. Messiah University - 47 (5)
2. York College of Pennsylvania - 42 (2)
3. Stevenson University - 40
4. Alvernia University - 28
5. Widener University - 23
6. Hood College - 20
7. Eastern University - 16
8. Albright College - 8
